


Secrets and Spaces

by spreadyourwingsandfly



Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Drama, Emotional, F/M, Family Drama, Humor, Manipulation, Past Relationships, Post-Divorce, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-01 10:13:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15140891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spreadyourwingsandfly/pseuds/spreadyourwingsandfly
Summary: THE SEQUEL TO “Only You”!Things between you and T’Challa have been pretty blissful lately. The media had a field day with the news of your pregnancy and engagement, sure. But you don’t mind. You perform your duties as future queen with grace, and T'Challa handles being king with pride.You’re raising a princess and two princes the best way you know how, and preparing Adanya to take over the throne one day at a time. However, just in case shoe should abdicate the throne to Ado, T’Challa suggests that you start training her for being a Dora Milaje on her thirteenth birthday next year.He knows best, seeing as he was raised here. T’Challa knows how to handle just about every situation so it seems.Read that again.So it seems.





	1. Secrets Revealed part 1

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING- MENTIONS OF HEARTBREAK AND UNPLANNED PREGANCY AND SECRETS BEING KEPT

Author’s Note- I believe I did the math right for this to calculate years, but I will check again tomorrow. This is the sequel to ‘Only You’ series, so I suggest that you read that first. I will go over tomorrow to make sure everything is consistent, before now enjoy part 1 of ‘’Secrets and Spaces’’!

T’Challa’s lips are pressed against yours, giggles breaking free each time his lips leave yours, his face only inches for yours.  
You revel in the umber skin, the deep brown eyes, the white teeth, the kindness and politeness and the fact that you can now call him ‘’husband’’ in only three weeks.  
The love story of you and T’Challa Udaku is anything but perfect. In fact, an outsider looking in might wonder how you two were able to work it out, even after the divorce and the unplanned pregnancy with your son, Abioye  
‘’Babe,’’ you continue to laugh as he peppers kisses all over your face and head.  
‘’You’re really beautiful,’’ he signs, leaning his forehead against yours, ‘’I love you so much.’’  
‘’I love you, too, T'Challa.’’  
‘’I can not wait to marry you again. I can’t wait to welcome our fourth child into this world,’’ T’Challa presses a kiss to your forehead.  
Things between you and T’Challa have been pretty blissful lately. The media had a field day with the news of your pregnancy and engagement, sure. But you don’t mind. You perform your duties as future queen with grace, and T'Challa handles being king with pride.You’re raising a princess and two princes the best way you know how, and preparing Adanya to take over the throne one day at a time. However, just in case shoe should abdicate the throne to Ado, T’Challa suggests that you start training her for being a Dora Milaje on her thirteenth birthday next year.  
He knows best, seeing as he was raised here. T’Challa knows how to handle just about every situation so it seems.  
Read that again.  
So it seems.  
A notification on his kimoyo beads interrupts your stolen moment, drawing his attention away from your lips and the maternity dress that makes you look irresistible as he groans in annoyance.  
‘’Okoye. What is it, eh? I’m in the middle of something important,’’ he says as politely as he can, not wanting to give away what you and him are up to behind the doors of his office.  
‘’My king, I am sorry to disturb you. But we have a woman here who wants to meet with you. She says she won’t tell her name until you come to see her.’’  
He looks at you, irritation and worry evident in every feature of his face.  
‘’I shall be there shortly.’’  
You sit up when, buttoning your shirt back up and taking his hand as he prepares to leave, ‘’I am going with you.’’  
‘’No, my love. You should stay here. It could be dangerous.’’  
‘’Well, if it is, it is. The Dora Milaje will be there. You are wearing your suit,’’ you gesture to the panther teeth around his neck, ‘’I am not going anywhere. I’m by your side through everything.’’  
Or so you think.  
You and T’Challa enter the throne room, and you freeze in place.  
Ramonda is there, as are the elders and Shuri.  
And, to your surprise, horror, and annoyance, so is she.  
‘’Nisa?’’  
Nisa is her… the woman who broke his heart right after Nakia and right before you. If Nakia breaking up with him hurt, Nisa threw salt in the womb. And his pain caused you pain- when you met him,you were still trying to convince him to give you a chance. He was so hurt over her, so heartbroken, that he had a hard time believing in love again. SHe left him a shell of the man that you fell in love with ages ago.  
‘’Nisa. What are you doing here,’’ he questions, eyes trained on her .  
‘’My king,’’ she says with faux respect, bowing to him, And my queen.’’  
She is anything but sincere, ut that is ot what is getting to you.  
What is getting to you is the child who can not be any older than one or two, maybe three years old. She seems small for her age, and she is clinging to Nisa’s leg, her face half hidden by the skirt of Nisa’s dress.  
‘’What business do you have here,’’ T’Challa questions, eyes flickering from the child and back to Nisa.  
‘’I am just as much a citizen of Wakanda as anyone else present,’’ INisa reminds him, ‘’And when a citizen requests an audience with the elders and/or a member of the royal family pertaining to the their or their children's well being, the king of Wakanda must act accordingly. I requested you. Do you not wish to make sure to your word, T’Challa. I mean… my king.’’  
‘’You will speak to king T’Challa with respect, or you will not speak at all,’’ Okoye says fiercely, her eyes trained on the woman who is anything but welcome in your home.  
The Divorce is inconsequential in the long run- he loves you, you love him, this is our home. These walls contain so many laughs, kisses, tears, moments and secrets that others are unaware of.  
The thing is, you are unaware of some of those secrets as well.  
And they are about to come to life.  
‘’Speak. What is it you wish for me to do for you and your child,’’ T’Challa asks, because ‘Challa would always do anything he can to help when he can.  
Even if that person is as crude as she as gorgeous, as conniving as she is stunning.  
‘’King T’Challa, I ask you to provide shelter for my child and myself. We are returning to Wakanda, and we have nowhere else to go.’’  
T’Challa blinks once, twice, again before looking at you, then to Ramonda.  
‘’Why would he do that,’’ Shuri frowns, ‘’He may provide you housing, yes, but what makes you bold enough to think that T’Challa would let you stay in this place?’’  
For once, Shuri's outburst is welcome by everyone.  
Well. everyone but Nisa, but you don’t mind ger.  
‘’Because I have something that T’Challa may be interest in,’’ she smirks, rubbing the back f the small girl’s head gently, ‘’T’Challa Udaku, the king of Wakanda, the Black Panther, this is Nyala. She is my two year old daughter. She will be three soon.’’  
‘’Hello, Nyala,’’ T’Challa bends down to the child’s level, ‘’How are you?’’  
She doesn’t speak, just buries her head further into Nyala skirt.  
‘’She still has not started her business here, and I believe it is best if you just provide her with housing so he can leave, T’Challa,’’ Ramonda pipes up, her eyes trained on Nisa in a way that you can not read.  
‘’Oh, I am staying in this place,’’ Nisa scowls, ‘’Or would you kick the mother of your child out?’’  
That shows T’Challa, and you, and event he elders for a moment.  
Then, it's like the world is frozen and time stops- reality pulls the rug from underneath your feet, and you are still struggling to understand how you’ve fallen all of a sudden.  
‘’You mean-’’  
‘’That’s right. T’Challa Udaku, meet Nyala. She is your daughter.’’’

DISCLAIMER- ALL RIGHTS AND CHARACTERS AND THEIR FICTIONAL WORLDS IN THIS WORK BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL AND RESPECTFUL OWNERS


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - MENTIONS OF BETRAYAL, PAST RELATIONSHIPS, POST-DIVORCE AND HEARTACHE

When you were divorced, you and T’Challa both saw other people. Rather, you saw other people. You dated them, and even had a short relationship with a man who probably would’ve given you the world had you let him,  
Now you’re here with the man who has given you the world- rather, he helped you create one that you loved more than anything. You were able to use your platform as queen to create a difference, you’ve founded programs with him to help those who need it. you created four beautiful children with this man.  
And he… well he screwed her and now she’s in your home.  
And it wouldn’t matter that he slept with other people if it wasn’t her.  
Or maybe it would.  
You’re not sure.  
All you know is that she is somewhere in this palace taking up residence while T’Challa meets with her and the elders.  
And that brick by brick, you’ve been slowly building this thing that you had with T’Challa back up.  
Enter Nisa, and it comes tumbling down. She is to your relationship what a wrecking ball is to a structure- disruptive, hard to miss, and massive in the space that it takes up.  
She is the demolition team that wants to ruin this for you, but you shall not let her.  
Despite your issues with Nisa, you try to help. Plus, it’ll make things easier on T’Challa. The baby is confused, not sure of what is going on around her. She’s only a bit older than Abioye, obviously. She’s young. So, you instruct Ayo to guide her out of the room and to keep her safe as you leave to, trying to get away from the messy situation that is unfolding in front of your very eyes  
The child is sat on the floor in the room next to the one that you are currently residing in, playing with her paper dolls as Ayo keeps watch over her.  
‘’Momma,’’ you hear a familiar voice, and you turn to see your oldest struggling towards you.  
‘’Hi, sweetie. How can I help you,’’ you rub a hand over hair braids, which have been parted down the middle and are hanging down her back in pigtails, like two ebony waterfalls ending in an array of colorful beads.  
‘’Daddy has been in his meeting for a long time. He promised us we will have dinner together, as a family. Are we still going to?’’  
Adanya is old enough to know that something is going on, but she doesn’t know what it is. T’Challa has never spent this long in a meeting with the elders. You’ve never shirked off all of your responsibilities except for the day that you gave birth to her baby brother, Abioye. Adanya is smart, far more alert than others give her credit for. It is why she will make a great queen one day.  
It is also why you know that it will only a matter of time before she knows about what is being discussed behind those closed doors.  
Which is why you elect to give her a watered down version of the truth,   
‘’We may have to have a later lunch today, honey. Daddy is very noisy with the elders. We had a surprise visitor,’’ you explain, ‘’Why don’t you go find your brothers? The four of us can go on a walk.’’  
‘’Okay, momma,’’ she nods, running along down the palace hallways, her braids bouncing against her back as she does.  
And you let out a breath that you’ve been holding since you first laid eyes on Nisa today.  
The walk does wonders for you. You push Abioye in a stroller as your two oldest children stroll along next to you, chattering and laughing and playing.  
‘’I can not wait until I am a Dora Milaje,’’ Adanya states, showing off her fighting, ‘’I’m gonna be so fierce.’’  
‘’Uh-uh, Adanya. You will be queen,’’ your oldest son, Ado, reminds her.  
‘’Well, when I am queen, I will make it a rule that I can be Dora Milaje. Right Abioye?’’  
Your toddler looks up then, not sure of what is going on but happy to be included by his siblings.  
Adanya is eleven not, with Ado well on his way to his eighth birthday. Your children are growing up,and it is bittersweet. On one hand,they had to grow up with the divorce. Though you and T’Challa did your best to shield them from everything negative, it was not always feasible. Adanya got teased at school. You still remember the day right after the divorce was finalized when the paparazzi had caught up with you when you were grocery shopping, and you’d had to scoop a crying Ado into your arms as you ran from the paparazzi.  
They are resilient, but they are just children. Even when you and her dad got back together, it shook them a bit, They had to readjust again, and you and T’Challa worked them into it. You moved back into the palace slowly, and T'Challa included them in his decision to propose to you again.  
This time, though, they may be thrown right into the mess.  
And you’re not sure how you could protect them this time.  
The four of you arrive back at the palace safely, and your two older children thank you before running off to their rooms, excited to put the rocks they’d picked up along the trail into their rock collection.  
You hear someone softly saying your name and you turn to find T’Challa, hands behind his back and a blank expression on his face, ‘’May we speak, privately?’’  
‘’Of course,’’ you pick your sleeping toddler up, handing him to Shuri, who is right next to her brother, ‘’Do you mind taking him?’’  
‘’Of course not,’’ she coos, pressing a kiss to her nephew’s head before shooting you a warning look and heading for his room.  
T’Challa guides you to his office then, a hand on your the small of your back.  
‘’What’s wrong? Did you get her to leave,’’ you question, noticing that Nyala was not playing with her dolls in the foyer when you returned.  
‘’She is not in the throne room anymore, no. That is what we need to talk about. I did the math, my love. There is a strong possibility that Nyala is mine.’’  
‘’A strong possibility. That means you don’t know,’’ you frown slightly, ‘’How strong is that possibility.’’  
He says your name with exasperation, ‘’I do not know, my love. I just know that Nyala could be my daughter.’’  
You feel sick to your stomach, and you have to swallow back the bile.  
Because he slept with her, and you don’t even know if you feel anything about it, because it was when you were divorced.  
‘’So where is she? Did you help her and Nyala?’’  
‘’I did. It is part of my duty as king of Wakanda. And, just in case Nyala is mine, I don’t want to give Nisa a reason to spill this to the public.’’   
You kiss your teeth then, and look to the sky to regain your composure.  
On one hand, the child is innocent, and you’d do anything to help that child.  
On the other hand, Nisa is trifling, annoying, trifling, messy, and tingling.   
Oh, and trifling.  
Not to mention she comes waltzing in here years later, for what?  
‘’I understand. You’re a good man. I am glad that you gave them somewhere to spend the night for a while until we can get all of this straightened out.’’   
‘’That is the thing,’’ he glances at your heavily pregnant stomach, ‘’You may want to sit down.’’  
You do then, and he pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration.  
Oh no.  
He says your name softly, carefully, like it is glass and if he says it in any other tone, it will fall apart in his hands.  
With the words that he says next, it might as well be the truth,  
‘’Nisa and Nyala are going to be staying here. At the palace.’’

DISCLAIMER- I DO NOT OWN ANY MARVEL CHARACTERS OR THEIR FICTIONAL UNIVERSES, THEY BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS.


	3. Space Between us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘’Excuse me?’’  
> ‘’Nisa and Nyala will be sleeping here. At the palace,’’ T’Challa states again, as if you want to hear those awful words spill from behind perfect lips ever again.  
> ‘’No.No, I heard you, but why is she staying here? There are plenty of other places for her and the baby to, T’Challa.’’  
> You’d even understand if only Nyala stayed here. But, no. T’Challa has the nerve to bring her, Nisa, to bring the alleged mother of his alleged child into your home.  
> Suddenly, she is invading every single one of your senses.  
> You can smell her perfume.  
> You can picture her sitting in T’Challa’s lap in the chair he is now taking up, her hands pressed to his chest as he presses kisses to her neck.  
> You can feel, practically feel, the metaphorical dirt and grime on the sheets, in the bed that you share with T’Challa.  
> The bed that you also shared with him.   
> You taste the bitterness of her words, of her tone, of her presence.  
> And the whole thing makes you feel ill.  
> Ill, and angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING- Mentions of infidelity, emotional distress, arguing, fights, trouble processing thoughts and emotions, and anger

WARNING- Mentions of infidelity, emotional distress, arguing, fights, trouble processing thoughts and emotions, and anger. 

 

‘’Excuse me?’’  
‘’Nisa and Nyala will be sleeping here. At the palace,’’ T’Challa states again, as if you want to hear those awful words spill from behind perfect lips ever again.  
‘’No.No, I heard you, but why is she staying here? There are plenty of other places for her and the baby to, T’Challa.’’  
You’d even understand if only Nyala stayed here. But, no. T’Challa has the nerve to bring her, Nisa, to bring the alleged mother of his alleged child into your home.  
Suddenly, she is invading every single one of your senses.  
You can smell her perfume.  
You can picture her sitting in T’Challa’s lap in the chair he is now taking up, her hands pressed to his chest as he presses kisses to her neck.  
You can feel, practically feel, the metaphorical dirt and grime on the sheets, in the bed that you share with T’Challa.  
The bed that you also shared with him.   
You taste the bitterness of her words, of her tone, of her presence.  
And the whole thing makes you feel ill.  
Ill, and angry.  
‘’No.’’  
‘’No?’’  
‘’No. She is not staying here. I don’t want her here,’’ you demand, crossing your arms over your chest.  
‘’You really don’t get to make that decision,’’ T’Challa reminds you, eyeing you warily.  
‘’And you did? Did you do this to save your reputation? Did you forget about your children? The three who are playing somewhere in this place who have already been through so much? The one who I am currently carrying for us?’’  
‘’I… I did not think-’’  
‘’Of course you didn’t, T’Challa. Because she was here and you were thinking about her and what she wants. Nisa,’’ you roll your eyes, ’’Her name is a bad taste in my mouth.’’  
‘’I did this for us. Do you want her to spread this to the public before we have a chance to regain our footing and process it ourselves? Do you need her to stress you out in that way? You are pregnant. We do not want her to cause any stress for you or the baby, right?’’  
‘’I want her out of the palace, T’Challa! Her being here is what is stressing me out, T’Challa! You know that I don’t trust her. You obviously did, though. Otherwise we wouldn't’ be in this situation,’’ you laugh bitterly, ‘’It’s her. It’s always her, isn’t it?’’  
‘’What is that supposed to mean,’’ is voice is low, it’s cool.  
It’s dangerous, and you don’t mind dancing with and on the border of truth and hurt.  
‘’I guess I’m just asking this- should I expect Nakia to be showing up with a bundle of joy soon?’’  
He blinks at you, hurt in his eyes.  
And you know there’s a line that you are definitely very, very close to crossing.,  
‘’We weren’t even together when this happened,’’ he reminds you, something mysterious cloud over his face, ‘’Who I slept with during that time is really none of your business, now is it?’’  
‘’T’Challa, it became my business when she walked through that door with a child, claiming her to be yours! But I don’t expect you to understand’’ you stand, ‘’Now, I don’t want the children to worry too much. So,you are going to come to dinner with us, and we are going to act like a family.’’  
It stings- it’s the same attitude that you had with the divorce where you had to pretend that it’s okay.  
You were on a high, and now you’re right back at the start.  
You exit his office them rubbing a hand on your stomach and desperately wishing you could change the past.  
And you apologize to your heart, because here you go again.  
Dinner is quiet, save for the children talking to you about their days. T’Challa won’t even look at you, and you can’t tell if it’s because you were wrong o because he regrets his decision.  
Either way, it continues into the children’s night time routine, when you are undoing the braids in Adanya hair and brushing her hair out for three eight.  
‘’Momma,’’ she states as she leans back, her elbows resting on your knees and head laying gently against your pregnant stomach.  
‘’Yes, baby,’’ you ask, pressing a kiss to her forehead.  
‘’Are you and daddy alright?’’  
Adanya is very in tuned with other’s emotions, and it is both good and terrifying. On one hand, she can sense when someone is hurting and he’s there for them. She will make a strong yet benevolent queen , you are sure of it.  
Unfortunately, it is a gift that also makes it hard for you to hide things from her.  
So, again, you water down the truth.  
‘’Daddy and I are fine, love. We just are both tired. Today’s meeting and what was discussed took a lot out of us,’’you explain.  
‘’So you two aren’t getting a divorce again? We don’t have to move again?’’  
You pause your movements then, stilling the brush in her hair before getting your thoughts together.  
‘’I can guarantee you this- no matter what happens, daddy and I are going to make things work out in a way that is good for you and your brothers, baby girl. We love you four, okay?’’  
Even if that means you have to take this ring off of your finger  
T’Challa is a man very in tune with hs emotions. In fact, he knows that’s one of the reasons you fell for him- he wears his heart on his sleeve. He does not try to suppress his emotions. It’s something you’d told him you like about him on your first date, after having been friends for two years.  
Unfortunately, it’s also the reason that, six months into your divorce, he’d been on a business meeting with Nisa and ended up spilling his guts. She was there and she had a shoulder he could cry on. But, unfortunately for him, she was there, and she had lips that were kissable.  
And she wasn’t you, but she was in the mood for something casual. He craved affection and she needed attention, so they ended up in his chambers. Lips pressed together, hands roaming into places where they’d only ever touched you for the last 10 years at that point, mind wandering off and thinking about how it was a one time thing.  
T’Challa regrets nothing except for the fact that it was her, that he can’t ever seem to be rid of her even when he so desperately wants to. He had let her go months before the two of you reconciled in an attempt to try again.  
And, like a circle, here he is, here you are, here they are: Right back at the start.  
‘’Are you sure you can do a paternity test,’’ T’Challa questions Shuri as he walks down the ramp of her lab with her.  
‘’I am positive, brother, It may take me time to construct one, but I Will have it done by tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow evening at the latest.’’  
‘’Thank you, Shuri,’’ he sings, ‘’I just want this whole thing to blow over.’’  
‘’You don’t need to worry about this, T’Challa. You’ve got enough on your mind. I mean your fiancee’….’’  
Right. You, his fiancee’, who shuffled off to bed as soon as the children had their nightly baths and were asleep. You who turned away from him, like you hated him.  
He’s not sure that he could blame you if you do.  
‘’Go to sleep, brother. You can sleep in my room if you’d like to giver a bit of space.’’  
He thanks her and he doe just that, tossing and turning all night as he wonders about the answer to the question:  
Is Nyala really his daughter?  
Meanwhile, you are on the other side of the palace, lying awake and alone with your thoughts.  
You can’t sleep, though, because she is in your palace. It’s the reason you more than agreed when your children showed up,asking if they could sleep with you instead of in their rooms. That is why Adanya is curled on T’Challa’s side of the bed, Abioye is cradled against your chest, and Ado is hanging almost off of the bed, sleeping just like his baba.  
You’re lying awake, looking out of the window, trying to count the stars. They are as beautiful as your children, but as numerous your thoughts.  
You just worked things out with T’Challa. You are set to get married in three weeks, wanting to be wed before the new baby comes and you do not have time to plan a wedding.   
You rub your stomach, wondering how this baby is going to grow up in this mess if Nyala is T’Challa’s daughter, and how your three, lovely children sleeping next to you, who assume their dad is just busy in his office, are going to deal with it.  
How is T’Challa going to handle this, along with the news breaking to Wakanda? This would be a scandal for sure. The elders already are not pleased with this turn of events, that’s for sure. Neither is Ramonda, if her silence is anything.  
You scroll back and look at the message that T’Challa left on your kimoyo beads: ‘’Shuri is designing a paternity test so that we can figure this out as soon as possible. Sleep tight. I love you.’’  
You shut them off for the night them placing the bracelet on the nightstand, careful not to disturb Ado, and then pull him back onto the bed, covering him with a blanket.  
And you try to get some sleep.  
Because this may be the last night of peace you have before everything changes.  
It happens when Ado and Adanya are at school and a nurse is taking care of Ado. Nisa is standing across from you, Nyala balanced on her hip and playing with her doll, oblivious to the battle that is going around her.  
You are next to T’Challa, but only physically- you two did not speak this morning, whether from your own stubbornness or his pride, or vice versa.  
Nisa certainly picked up on it.  
‘’My king, what is the matter? Do you need me to do anything for you?’’  
‘’You could’ve never come here in the first place,’’ you grin in fake cheer, rubbing our stomach, ‘’That would’ve helped.’’  
‘’Is that any way for you to talk to the mother of his child,’’ she sneers at you.  
‘’I’m the mother of his children, too. Or have you forgotten about that’’ you raise an eyebrow, and T’Challa has to place a hand on your shoulder to calm you.  
Amazing how that works after more than a decade together.   
‘’Ladies, please. Nisa, do not talk to your future queen like that. My love, don’t engage with her. Don’t stress.’’  
She scowls at his hand on your shoulder but drops it, fussing over Nyala and her hair and clothes instead.  
The baby is giggling, and you feel sorry that she’s been dragged into this whole mess. You can only imagine that Nisa feels the same, but you don’t have time to ponder that right now.  
You’re just glad that this whole nightmare is soon to be over.  
The doors to the throne room open, and in comes Shuri, her paternity test in her hands.  
‘’What is this?’’  
‘’You claim that this is my child, Nisa. Did you really think that I would not want proof?’’  
‘’My word is not proof enough for you,’’ she questions, like she didn’t have the gall to break his heart before.  
T’Challa is trusting, but he’s not dumb.  
‘’I don’t want her to do this paternity test. She is your sister. She may lie about the results.’’  
‘’Are you questioning my integrity or m technology,’’ Shuri snaps, and you know she’d be far more offended about someone questioning her intelligence and technology, ‘’Either you agree to this, or you have to go somewhere else. Then, the news will break to all of Wakanda, and you’ll have to deal with that. Your choice. I could go back to my lab and then go spoil my nephews and niece.’’  
You’ve never been more grateful for Shuri.  
‘’Well, get ready to spoil another niece,’’ Nisa hisses, let’s do this.  
The paternity test will take 24 hours. That’s what Shuri says at least.  
So it is another grueling and agonizing twenty-four hours where you must keep this news from the children, pretend that it’s okay, and be nice with T’Challa although all you want to do is force Nisa out of your palace.  
But here it is. The elders, you, Ramonda, T’Challa, M’Baku, and Nisa are all gathered here, waiting Shuri.  
The doors open up and it seems like the longest wait of your life as Shuri begins to read the results.  
‘’I have here the results to the paternity test,’’ she gives Nisa a look then shoots you a glance.  
She opens the envelope, and you prepare for the answer.  
And whatever it is, you know you’ll have to deal with it.  
Because there is no way that things are going back to normal.  
‘’The paternity results state, T’Challa, that-’’  
There’s no turning back now.   
DISCLAIMER- I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT, NISA, NYALA, ADANYA, ADO AND ABIOYE AND THE NEW BABY. ALL MARVEL CHARACTERS AND THEIR FICTIONAL WORLDS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS.


	4. Chapter 4

Warnings- fighting, mentions of emotional distress, mentions of infidelity, and fighting in front of children.

The storm that's raging outside matches the storm that is racing inside of your heart, inside of your mind and inside of the palace. You’re packing your clothes in a mad fury, tossing the bag down and moving down the hall as quickly as you can with your pregnant stomach, heading towards Adanya’s room to pack her bag for her before she gets home from school.  
T'Challa is calling your name down the hallway, running after you, ‘’My love, where are you going?’’  
‘’Anywhere that that woman isn’t, T’Challa,’’ you turn to face him,’’So that you can handle things between you and your new family.’’  
It’s a horrid taste in your mouth, acknowledging the fact that T’Challa actually had a child with that woman, that this woman is forever in your hair now. That she is going to be living in the palace until further notice.  
‘’Please, my love,’’ he takes your hand, turning you around to face him, ‘’Please, we have to talk about it.’’  
‘’What do you want to say, T’Challa? This is done. It’s over. I told you that she’s no good for you, for the children, that all she does is tell you lies. And here we are. She is living in this palace, and I do not trust her. I don't want her around my children!’’  
‘’For Bast’s sake, woman! Do you think that I like this anymore than you do?! I just found out that I have a child she’s been keeping from me! Once this leaks to the press, I am going to have to do a lot of damage control to-’’  
‘’Forget the press, T’Challa! What about Ado, Adanya, and Abioye?!,’’you snap, running a hand on your pregnant stomach, ‘’What about this baby, eh? What do we do about our family? Or does that not matter to you anymore?’’  
If looks could kill…  
‘’Do not accuse me of not loving my children. Do not dare do that. Now, while my feelings about you and your feelings about me may change, you know that I am one hundred percent devoted to my children. And that means all of them now.’’  
You mull that over, kissing your teeth before responding.  
Why does this apology taste so bad?  
‘’Okay. I’m sorry. You’re right. This is not the child’s fault,’’ you concede, ‘’But, to save myself the stress, I am checking into a hotel for the night. I will tell the children that I have something to work on. It’s not a lie.’’  
You’ve been neglecting your work lately, and you will not be letting Nisa get to you that much. She may have what she wants, but you realize that you still have things she’ll never have- T’Challa’s love, the title of Queen in a short while, and the duties and responsibilities that come along with that.  
‘’But-’’  
‘’I know that you will take care of the children. Please do not explain this to them until I return tomorrow evening.’’  
‘’Please,’’ T’Challa cradles your face in his hand, leaning his forehead against yours, ‘’I will do whatever it takes. But I can not lose you again.’’  
T’Challa is very in tune with his emotions. It is one o the things that you love most about him. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and right now, it is beating for only you.  
‘’You won’t lose me. But I am afraid that if I don’t get away from this, I will lose myself. And the everything we have been working so hard to rebuild will fall apart. I do not want to lose this, T’Challa. So I am going to take a break. We can talk things out tomorrow morning after my press conference, yeah?’’  
‘’Sure, my love,’’ he presses a timid kiss to your forehead before pressing a kiss to your lips, ‘’We will work this out?’’  
You want to say ‘Yes’. Your heart is begging you to, but it’s in a tug of war with your mind. Your brain is telling you to be logical, to tell him that you’re not sure. It’s a battle you’ve been in ever since the divorce.  
But, this time, your heart wins, ‘’Yes, we will.’’  
And you have to believe that if you want to resurface from this overlooking ocean of current events ever again.

 

T’Challa watches your car pull away, and he turns on his heel, stalking down the hallway to greet his children as they come home from school.  
‘’Baba!’’  
‘’Daddy!’’  
Ado and Adnya both give him warm hugs, as if they didn’t see him just this morning. He presses kisses to the tops of both of their heads, savoring the one moment today where he’s felt at peace, felt like he knows what’s going on and what to expect.  
‘’Listen, children. Your mother is away doing some work. She will return tomorrow. Meanwhile, I want you to go and do your homework right away. We may be having some guests join us for dinner.’’  
He knows what you said, but he can’t very well keep his daughter… that’s strange to say. He can’t very well keep his other daughter holed away in the apartment. He'll introduce them as family friends. He hates lying to his children, but he’s having trouble stomaching the truth. He’s not sure how you will respond to that, but he needs to start easing Nyala and Nisa into the children’s life, bit by bit. Because, like it or not, Nisa is apar of his life if Nyala is a part of his life. Nisa… is apart of his life.  
For better or worse.  
Somehow, he can’t shake the feeling that it will be for worse.

There’s something keeping you tied to the palace, something that won’t let you stay at the hotel like you planned to. Of course, your kids are there. Of course, T’Challa is there. It’s also where your sense of pride is, your sense of belonging. That palace is your home now.  
And Nisa may have taken away your peace for the day, but you are not letting her take your happiness for good. She can’t have it.  
You are not giving up without a fight.   
Which is how you find yourself driving back to the hotel, one goal on your mind.  
You enter the throne room to find T’Challa and Nisa arguing, him screaming over her, her pointing an accusatory finger in his face as the Dora Milaje watch, ready to jump in and defend their king should he need them.  
That vein is popping out on T’Challa’s forehead, the one that only comes out when he’s reached his limit and won’t be in control of his emotions, or his words, much longer. You saw it in the last fight before the divorce, and haven’t seen it sense. But it means that he feels strongly, and you’re not sure if it’s for Nisa, because of the situation, or for the child he didn’t know he had.  
That doesn’t matter now, though.  
What matters now is the little girl sitting on the floor off to the side, hands covering her ears as she looks on at her mother and her the man she will come to know as her dad, tears in her eyes.  
A scene all familiar to you as you think about the time that Adanya head you and T’Challa fighting and came to you with tears in her eyes.  
‘’That is quite enough, you two. Look, none of us our happy about this situation. Except maybe you, Nyala. But we need to think about what matters most. It’s not the press, it’s not even us- it’s the children. Look at Nyala,’’ you nod your head towards the little girl, whose paper dolls are all but forgotten, lying on the floor.  
‘’Baby,’’ Nisa coos, stepping around T’Challa and scooping her up and comforting her.  
‘’My love,’’’ T’Challa steps over to you, ‘’You returned.’’  
‘’I did. I’m done with feeling like I’m running away from our problems, T’Challa. I knew I was getting myself into a whirlwind when I agreed to let you court me in the first place. We’ll get through this together. If that divorce proved anything, it’s that we can get through anything. This storm will pass.’’  
It’s probably going to leave a lot of destruction in its wake…  
But it will pass.  
‘’Nisa,’’ you walk towards the one woman you wish you’d never have to see again, ‘’Listen. You and T’Challa have a lot to talk about. And we all need to talk in the morning. For now, though, I think that the baby needs to sleep. If you’d like… she can sleep in the room next to Ado’s. It will be the new baby’s room, but we can use it for Nuala tonight.’’  
‘’Why,’’ Nisa narrows her eyes at you, clutching her child closer to her chest.  
‘’Girl, I don’t like you. Let’s get that straight.And I know you don’t like me either. But I think we can both agree that our children come first. Look at her- she’s exhausted. I’ll even have one of the Dora Milaje take her to the nursery if you don’t trust me to do so.’’  
She glares at you, but her gaze softens when she looks at her sleepy daughter,’’ I trust one of the Dora Milaje to take her. I will check on her.’’  
T’Challa instructs Ayo to take the baby to the nursery, and dress her in a pair of Abioye’s pajamas for the night.  
‘’Now, you two have a lot to discuss. Tomorrow, after Adanya and Ado are off to school, we will discuss this. Like adults. Because we have to break this to the children before the news breaks to all of Wakanda and the world. They deserve that,d o they not?’’  
Nisa is staring at you with a blank expression, and your distaste for her is growing by the hour.  
But you are determined to not let her bully her way into this family, to protect your children, Wakanda, T’Challa and yourself. And if that means dealing with her games and such, you’re willing to do it until you can figure out how to get over it.  
‘’Of course,’’ T’Challa afrees, ‘’Absolutely.’’  
‘’Yeah, sure. Now, if you don’t mind, T’Challa and I need to speak.’’  
‘’Stop being trifling,’’ you deadpand before looking to T’Challa, ‘’I assume that you will not be joining me tonight, so I will see you in the morning. Good night.’’  
You give him a kiss on the cheek, a sign that all is not forgiven yet, but that you are willing to work things out. Things are not broken, only bent out of shape. That will make it a bit easier to fix what is going on between you and T’Challa…  
But the metaphorical crap is definitely going to hit the metaphorical fan before this is all said and done.  
You are preparing for bed, pulling on your nightgown when there is a knock on the door,  
You open up to see Adanya, your oldest standing there and rubbing her eyes.  
‘’Momma, can I come in,’’ she questions, carrying her pillow.  
‘’Of course, love,’’ you move aside, shutting the door once she is in, ‘’What is wrong?’’  
‘’Where is daddy? I haven’t seen him since dinner. I was hoping we would have been able to play soccer after dinner.’’  
You can see the sadness in her eyes, the sadness that she is trying to hide from you. SHe is the kind to keep everything in when it matters most, though she wears her heart on her sleeve most f the time. She’s a balance of you and T’Challa and it is good and bad at the same time.  
Because right now, she is breaking her own heart.  
‘’Come on. We will go go to bed and talk about it in the morning.’’  
She nods then, climbing into bed before you do, turning off the lights. Adanya cuddles up to you as you stroke her hair off her forehead.  
‘’Momma?’’  
‘’Daughter?’’  
‘’What’s going on with daddy and you?’’  
‘’What do you mean?’’  
‘’I know something is wrong, but I can’t figure out what’’ you notice her frown in the moonlight, ‘’I just… will we be okay?’’   
Adanya is resilient. She is smart, she is strong, she is loving. But she is still a child, and she needs to know that things will be okay.  
So you tell her everything will be fine, press a kiss to her forehead and wait for her to drift off to sleep.  
Your mind is racing with a million thoughts, ubt three stick out now:  
What will happen with Nisa and Nyala now?  
How do you tell the children?  
And, most importantly: Why did Nisa wait until now to tell T’Challa about Nyala?

 

Sneak Peak-  
Things lately have been chaotic at best, silent at worst. The children are processing this. Well, Ado and Adanya are. Abioye and Nyala seem to be aware of a change, but they do not exactly process how their worlds have shifted. All of the children need a break, need a moment to acknowledge the fact that indeed, their world has shifted and things will not be the same.. Even with the watered down version of the truth, they still seem to have more questions than you can answer.  
Only a few truths remain: you and T’Challa love Abioye, Ado, and Adanya more than anything.  
T’Challa will do his best to keep the peace.  
An Nisa is the definition of tingling.   
Nisa… Nisa is just a pain. She’s under your skin now, taking residence like an angry rash that you can’t relieve. Though you are trying to build a home from this brokenness, she’s making it quite difficult.  
And today is no different.  
‘’Does it hurt,’’ she questions you when the children are on their way down as she packed her own child into her high-chair.  
‘’Does what hurt?’’  
‘’Knowing that you’ll never quite be rid of me.’’  
That was completely out of pocket.  
But you are trying not to engage- in the interest of the baby.  
‘’I’m choosing to ignore your remarks,’’ you tell her, trying to be the adult in the room since she’s gonna be a big, trifling baby about things, ‘’I’m not the one that kept the child form him.’’  
Her had snaps over to look at toy, and she narrows her eyes, ‘’I have my reasons.’’  
‘’I bet you do,’’ you set a bowl on the table, ‘’Now stop it. I will not argue in front of these children.’’  
She has her reasons, she says.  
Yeah. Sure she does.  
Whatever they are, you are going to get to the bottom of it.  
Because something just doesn't feel right here.

 

DISCLAIMER- I DO NOT OWN ANY MARVEL CHARACTERS OR THEIR FICTIONAL WORLDS OR UNIVERSES, THOSE BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS.


	5. Chapter 5

AUTHOR’S NOTE- I had to change something and I don’t know if it was specifically started, but you are about 24 and then 27 weeks along in this chapter!

Warning- mentions of legitimacy of the child, mentions of events from the Black Panther movie, family secrets and infidelity.

‘’I am confused,’’ Adanya looks to you, a frown on her face as she sips her glass of juice.  
Ado is sitting next to her, munching on his after school snack.  
‘’Honey, daddy’s friend Nisa and her daughter, Nyala, will be moving in to the palace,’’ you explain, holding Abioye close to you.  
‘’But why,’’ she stresses.  
After your press conference this morning, you and T’Challa decided that you needed to tell the children about Nyala and her before the news broke to the world, and the children found out like that. Which is why you are here, having a conversation more awkward than the one you did with the babies when you and T’Challa got divorced.  
‘’Adanya, my daughter,’’ T’Challa signs, ‘’Ado, my son. You know that your mother and I love you, your baby brother, and the new baby very, very, very much. Yes?’’  
‘’Yes, baba,’’ Adanya and Ado agree in unison.  
‘’During the time that your mother and I were divorced… I dated someone else. And she came to me not long ago and said that she has a daughter.’’  
‘’What does this have to do with us,’’ Ado looks confused, and you can tell that he is trying to understand why this is of any relevance to him.  
You can also tell that Adanya has officially had enough.  
‘’Wake up, Ado! Dad has another baby, not with momma. So, we have a baby sister that we don’t even really know,’’ she tells her brother, ‘’And that’s the lady and her baby living in the palace now.’’  
‘’So what’s going to happen now,’’ Ado is turning to his sister, who is sitting there with an unreadable explanation on her face.  
‘’Momma and daddy are going to break up,’’ she finishes her juice, ‘’Can I be excused?’’  
‘’Bast,’’ T’Challa sighs, ‘’Adanya, sweetheart, your mother and I will not be breaking up again. We are going to work it out.’’  
‘’No,’’ she shakes her head, ‘’Everything has changed. I don’t see you anymore! You’ve already spent more time with your new daughter these last few days than you have with me!’’  
‘’Adanya Udaku!’’  
She’s running now, out of the dining hall and down the hallway.  
T’Challa is standing, ready to go after her until you place a hand on his shoulder, ‘’Leave her be. She needs to process this.’’  
You all do, but especially the children.  
‘’Baba, that is our new baby sister?’’  
‘’Yes, Ado. She is. But, rest assured, I do not love you or your sister any less. We will just have to make some changes. No matter what, though, your mother and I will do everything in our power to help you and your sister. To make this easier.’’  
‘’Okay. So you and mommy are not breaking up again?’’  
‘’We are not,’’ you reassure him, trying to bury the thought that had come up in your mind several times this week once again.  
‘’Okay then. I am going to see how Adanya is doing. Can I be excused,’’ he leaves as soon as you nod, chasing after his sister.  
‘’This is a mess, ‘’ T’Challa sighs, placing his head in his hands.  
‘’It is. I won’t lie to you. But, hey, we've been through madness before. So, we just have to get the kids through this, and then we can focus on ourselves and our marriage.’’  
Because, now, there is no way that Nisa is going away any time soon. 

This was three weeks ago. Since then, trying to get into a normal routine has been challenging to say the least. The children were formally introduced to Nisa and Nyala the day after you told them the truth, and things have been different ever since.   
There are only three things that you could all agree on: the children should spend as much time together as possible, none of you are to pit the children against each other, and no fighting in front of the children.  
That’s how you ended up having breakfast together every morning, you and Ado and Adanya and Abioye on one side, Nyala and Nisa on the other side and T’Challa at the head of the table.  
Things lately have been chaotic at best, silent at worst. The children are processing this. Well, Ado and Adanya are. Abioye and Nyala seem to be aware of a change, but they do not exactly process how their worlds have shifted. All of the children need a break, need a moment to acknowledge the fact that indeed, their world has shifted and things will not be the same. Even with the watered down version of the truth, they still seem to have more questions than you can answer.  
Only a few truths remain: you and T’Challa love Abioye, Ado, and Adanya more than anything.  
T’Challa will do his best to keep the peace.  
And Nisa is the actual definition of trifling.   
Nisa… Nisa is just a pain. She’s under your skin now, taking residence like an angry rash that you can’t relieve. Though you are trying to build a home from this brokenness, she’s making it quite difficult.  
And today is no different.  
‘’Does it hurt,’’ she questions you when the children are on their way down as she packed her own child into her high-chair.  
‘’Does what hurt?’’  
‘’Knowing that you’ll never quite be rid of me.’’  
That was completely out of pocket.  
But you are trying not to engage- in the interest of the baby.  
‘’I’m choosing to ignore your remarks,’’ you tell her, trying to be the adult in the room since she’s gonna be a big, trifling baby about things, ‘’I’m not the one that kept the child form him.’’  
Her had snaps over to look at you , and she narrows her eyes, ‘’I have my reasons.’’  
‘’I bet you do,’’ you set a bowl on the table, ‘’Now stop it. I will not argue in front of these children.’’  
She has her reasons, she says.  
Yeah. Sure she does.  
Whatever they are, you are going to get to the bottom of it.  
Because something just doesn't feel right here.  
Ado and Adanya arrive then, carrying their backpacks and dressed in their school uniforms. They hug you, spare a glance at Nyala and Nisa and sit at the table.  
‘’Say good morning, children,’’ you tell them, simply for the sake of installing diplomacy and politeness.  
‘’Good morning,’’ Adanya does not look at Nisa as she begins to drink her juice.  
‘’Morning, Ms. Nisa,’’ Ado nods to her, ‘’Hi, Nyala.’’  
Things are tense to say the least. Adanya hasn’t really talked to you since the news broke. Her teacher says she’s been closed off at school, that she doesn’t really engage with the other children and chooses to read during free activities time and recess instead.  
‘’Hey,’’ you push some hair back, ‘’I like your hair today. Who did it?’’  
‘’Thank you, momma. Auntie Shuri did it,’’ she reveals, proud of the hair pulled into a curly bun at the top of her head.  
‘’Any plans for school today,’’ you notice Nisa watching you both as she feesa Nyala, glancing at you two every so often.  
‘’I think we have a math test today,’’ she shrugs, ‘’Nothing important.’’  
‘’What about you, Ado,’’ you question as you move Abioye’s cup of juice to pour him some more, ‘’What’s going on with you at school today?’’  
‘’We are working on a garden! All of us are working in groups and each group plants a different thing,’’ he tells you, ‘’My group is planting flowers!’’  
‘’That is so amazing, Ado! I can tell how excited you are. When do you guys think you’ll be done?’’  
‘’We are working on it all of this week and showing it to the parents next week. Do you think that you and baba could come?’’  
‘’I’m sure we can work that out,’’ you agree.  
Ado beams at you then, the widest smile you’ve seen from in three weeks. He chats with you then, discussing his school day and what he will be doing as Adanya eats her breakfast, eyeing her little brother warily.  
The children eat for about five more minutes before you rebind the that they need to be getting to school, ad they take their dishes to the kitchen before leaving with Ayom ready for the day.  
You finish feeding Abioye, giving him to a nanny so that you can grab T’Challa can make it to your doctor’s appointment.  
And so you can get away from Nisa.  
Not that she needs to know that.

 

T’Challa Udaku is a man of his word. He keeps his promises, no matter how hard they are. So when he promised you that you’d work things out this time, he is determined to make it work. When he promised that he’d be there for his children, always, he advised that to include Nyala as well. He is determined to right his wrongs, to fix his mistakes, to take care of what he needs to.  
But even the Black Panther, the hero and protector and king of Wakanda, is only human.  
Even he needs some reassurance.  
‘’Why are you so silent? We just heard that our baby is in excellent health. Even with all of the stress lately. What is wrong?’’  
‘’I am sorry.’’  
‘’Sorry for…’’  
‘’For everything. For this mess that I have dragge you and the children in to. I just… I am trying to do the right thing on all counts. You see, I ran from it, or tried to, when Erik Killmonger made it here. I can not do that anymore. I am trying to do the right thing , but I feel like I am only making things worse.’’  
‘’You are being hard on yourself,’’ you place a hand on his arm, ‘’Listen to me: you are human, T’Challa. Human. It is fine for you to make mistakes. You did not try to sweep this under the wrong, you are taking care of it. Everyone makes the choice that is right for them, and this was yours.’’  
‘’Why,’’ he squeezes his eyes shut, ‘’Us… are we…’’  
He trails off, but you have been with this man well over a decade. If anything, you know him better than he knows himself.  
‘’We can’t let this tear us apart. Or our family,’’ you stress, taking T’Challa’s hand in yours, ‘’It won't’ be easy, and maybe it is not realistic, but I believe that we will get through this. Do you?’’  
He opens his eyes, staring at your hand in his, ‘’I do.’’  
‘’Great. Now, I think you need to have a certain talk with a certain princess.’’  
He sighs, thinking about the conversation that he has been avoiding this far for the last three weeks.  
‘’My love, I do believe that you are right,’’ he admits.  
So, after he finishes all of his meetings and events for the day, he plans to go talk to the one person who he hasn’t during all of this.  
Even if she doesn't want to talk to him.

 

He finds his oldest daughter in the palacegarden after her school lessons or done for the day, reading a book and enjoying the sounds of nature.  
‘’Adanya,’’ he speaks, startling her, ‘’Can I please talk to you.’’  
‘’What is it, daddy,’’ she questions, bookmarking the page that she is on and setting it to the side.  
She looks more and more like you each day, T’Challa notices. He can see your eyes, smile and cheeks, and his nose and ears.  
It’s magnificent.  
‘’You and I have not spoken much lately. Um… how are you?’’  
‘’I am doing well, daddy. I was just reading. Do we need to talk about something important?’’  
‘’We do, actually. Um… How are you feeling about everything that has been happening lately?’’  
With Adanya, much like you, it is sometimes better to dive right into the question rather than tiptoeing around it.  
‘’I am gone,’’ she nods, ‘’Just fine.’’  
‘’You do not have to do that. If you have any questions or concerns, I’d love to hear the,;;  
Also like you, once she has had enough, Adanya has had enough.  
‘’I am trying to give you and your new daughter the space you need, To bond,’’ she grits, ‘’You want to spend more time with her than you do me.’’  
‘’Adanya, why do you think that?’’  
‘’It is true, isn’t it? She comes and you spend time getting to know her. You do not care about me anymore.’’  
‘’Adanya Udaku,’’ he silently begs her to look at him, ‘’I love you and your brothers so much. You, and your mother, are my world. I love you with the love that I have for Wakanda- unconditional. I know things have changed. I know that I have not been there for you lately. BUt, if you’d give me a chance to prove it, I will show you. I am not perfect, Adanya. I am still balancing all of this out.’’  
She is looking out over the landscape then before turning to him. ‘’You promise?’’  
He chews on that, because he can’t promise that it will ever be completely and perfectly balanced.  
All that he can promise is to be there for his children, and to love them unconditionally.  
‘’I promise to do what is best for you and your brothers and sister, even when that’s not easy. Deal?’’  
She’s thinking about that he can tell as she puts a finger to her chin and thinning.  
‘’Okay,’’ she nods, and accept when T’Challa givers ehr a hug.  
But there is something that is still weighing on her mind, and she wants it to be addressed.  
‘’Daddy, I’m still your princess right?’’  
She has a unique relationship with her dad. She’s been worried all week that Nyala would come in and take that relationship away from her, stealing it away like an unknowing little thief and keeping it for herself. In Adanya eyes, that relationship, this bond,is more precious than jewels.  
Who could blame her for feeling protective over it?  
‘’That is one thing that you will never have to worry about, Adanya. Did mommy and I stop loving you when your brothers came along?’’  
‘’No, daddy.’’  
‘’Do you think we will stop loving you once the new baby comes along?’’  
‘’No,’’ she shakes her head again, her braids swinging.  
‘’And we will not stop loving you now,’’ he takes her umber, sun-kissed skin in his, ‘’I promise.’’  
She is smart and mature, butshe is still a child. He forgets that sometimes. When he looks at her, he sees the light- everything good in this world, everything good about himself and about you. He sees the future queen of Wakanda.  
Now, he sees his little girl. He sees a child who has been thrust into a bed of changes, much like a small sailboat expecting to survive on turbulent seas.  
In her now, he sees someone who needs him a bit more than Wakanda needs the black panther at the moment.  
So he grabs her hand, strolls around the palace garden and addresses her concerns, asks her about her day, laughs with her.  
Because, right now, this is the most important and heroic job he could be doing.

Three more weeks pass, and you are now twenty seven weeks along. T’Challa has done better at balancing his job as king, Black Panther, and being a dad. He keeps you and Nisa as far apart as possible, but makes sure that, as the mother of his child, she is taken care of.   
It isn’t until a meeting with the elders, the leaders, Shuri and Ramonda that things suddenly hit the floor.  
For the past few days, she’s been more under your skin than usual. She has been bringing up how she wants Nyala to have what your children have, about her right to the throne, about her privileges.  
And you’d tried to work things out with her, but she demanded that things be taken to the elders before she leaked his treatment of her daughter, though not unkind at all, to all of Wakanda.  
So here you are, twenty-seven weeks along and trying to stay afloat on a raft of calmness in a sea of stress.  
You can already feel the stress pulling you in, but you are trying not to drown.  
No, you will not give her that satisfaction.  
‘’The child is illegitimate. She is not eligible to be the queen of Wakanda.’’  
‘’My child has just as much a right as any of those other children,’’ Nisa spits at the elders. ‘’Or did you forget that T’Challa has had a child out of wedlock with his soon-to-be-again-wife?’’  
‘’That is not what we are discussing,’’ M’Baku replies, ‘’We are discussing your child and the right to the throne.’’  
‘’My child has the same right. She is his child. Who knows how many children T’Chaka sired?’’  
‘’You will not speak ill of my father,’’ T’Challa snaps at her.  
‘’Is the reason that you returned to try to get your child to the throne,’’ one of the elders questions, walking around Nisa and sizing her up.  
‘’If that were the case, don’t you think that I would have returned before now?’’  
‘’No, you love the drama of it.’’  
‘’Think what you want of me. Be all high and mighty. But look down off of your soapbox long enough to realize that I would never put my child in an uncomfortable position if I did not have to.’’   
Her eyes are as wide, as wild as the accusations and comments that are being thrown at ehr. She dodges them gracefully, pushing each dart away from her with calculated responses.  
‘’Then why would you wait so long to tell King T’Challa about his daughter.’’  
‘’I have my reasons. The only reason I am here is because she is indeed his daughter, and she deserves the same treatment that all of his other children are getting. Regardless of the fact that I am her mother,’’ Nisa hisses, ‘’If you’d all hd your wy, that would’ve disqualified her. Because I am her mother.’’  
You look to T’Challa, because you know she is right. After the paparazzi got those pictures of her leaving with T’Challa one night, you noticed you hadn’t seen many, if any at all, since.  
And you never thought about why.  
‘’Please,’’ Shuri laughs bitterly, ‘’You used him before, for your own selfish gain. And now yo show up here, three years later. Eh, why should anyone believe you?’’  
‘’Because, with all due respect,’’ Nisa grits out, obviously meaning no respect, ‘’Maybe your family isn’t as perfect as you think, Princess Shuri.’’  
‘And what exactly does that mean,’’ T’Challa questions, ‘’The elders called this meeting. I did not. So if you have anything that you need to be said about my family, we can do it in private. But this situation can not consume our whole lives. What has been said has been said, what is done is done.’’  
‘’No! I am tired of keeping these things hidden, swept under the rug. You see your dad did it when he killed Prince N’Jobu.’’  
‘’Nisa, stop,’’ you try to warn her.  
‘’And look at how well that turned out N’Jadaka shows up here, begging for the throne, even willing to go so far as to kill you for it. He did not succeed, no. But are you willing to cause another situation of that size just because you want to protect your reputation?’’’  
‘’Your heart is so filled with hatred!,’’ T'Challa seethes, “Tell me: what are your reasons for returning? Why wait until now? Why keep my daughter away from me when all of this could’ve been over a long time ago?”  
“I-“  
“No. I am not finished. People blame me for the choices that I made but I shall take full responsibility for them. I can tell the truth: I messed up. What are your reasons for returning now? Why, when I tried to get into contact with you did you ignore me until I gave up? You’ve never been quiet about anything a day in your life, Nisa. It’s who you are and I accept that. But you may not come in here, and you will not come in here, and disrespect my wife, my children, or my country. Nyala is more than welcome to stay here in the palace, but I am afraid that I must ask for you to be leaving.”  
“You can’t do that! She is only two and she needs me! I’m all she’s had her whole life, you can’t take me away from her!”  
And here is where T’Challa is caught between a rock and hard place. Because he wants to take care of Nyala, but Nisa is her mother. And he respects her as the mother of his child, but she is disrespectful. She is rude and she is disrespectful, and she is not who he wants around Adanya, Abioye, Ado and the new baby. Nisa is a storm- she leaves a lot of damage in her wake. She’s been toxic for him ever since the day that they first met. But, like fool’s gold, he saw something shiny. She saw someone that she could manipulate and use. So, in a way, they were a perfect match.  
It is a demented and twisted thing to think, but it is truth.  
‘’T’Challa, you think that your family is so perfect, but they are not. T’Chaka proved that. I have my reasons for not coming forth with Nyala when I found out that she was pregnant, and it has everything to do with your family!’’  
But, like a storm, she is terrifyingly powerful and beautiful, something that you can not always be prepared for.  
‘’Then what are your reasons? Why keep my child away from me for so long? Was it something I did?’’  
That throws her, throws everyone in the room, because they do not know T’Challa like you do. They don’t know how he carries the weight of the world on his shoulder, so he has to be firm and strong and unbreakable. However, he always has to be flexible, moving to the rhythm that other people drum out and squeezing into the spaces that they try to confine him to.  
As solid as ice, as fluid as liquid, all depending on the circumstance.  
But even ice can break, and water can dry up.  
‘’Enough,’’ Ramonda steps forward then, holding a hand up, ‘’That is enough. She says that she has her reasons for keeping Nyala a secret from T’Challa for so long, and she does.’’  
Nisa’s breath hitches and she looks to Queen Ramonda, shock on her face.  
The shock is on T’Challa’s face as his mother stops in front of him.  
‘’Mother, what is going on? What are you saying?’’  
Like a storm, Nisa and Nyala blew into your lives unexpectedly. And with very little warning.  
Like a storm, it was something you could only do so much about.  
And neither of you are prepared for the words that come out of Ramona's mouth next.  
‘’T’Challa, it was not Nisa’s decision to keep Nyala away from you for so long. It was mine.’’

I know ending on cliffhangers suck, but I promise there is a reason. Forgive me!

DISCLAIMER- ALL MARVEL CHARACTERS, TRADEMARKS, FICTIONAL UNIVERSES AND SUCH BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS.


	6. Chapter 6

WARNING- MENTIONS OF FAMILY SECRETS, BETRAYAL, TRAUMATIC EVENTS, RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS, AND COUNSELING

Ramonda Udaku loves her children. They bring an everlasting supply of joy to her life, an neverending bounty of love. The days that they were born will forever be two of the happiest, if not the happiest, days of her life. She remembers the day that they were each born perfectly.  
T’Challa came into this world wailing, the loudest he's ever been.He calmed down nearly immediately when she he was placed on her chest,wrapped in a royal purple blanket, only his face exposed.  
She remembers that she pressed kisses to his tiny little, wrinkled face as she calmed him from his wailing, that she counted ten little fingers and ten little toes attached to the most perfect hands and feet that she’s ever seen.   
She remembers when he fell down at the age of five, scraping his knee. He’d been playing with Okoye the general’s daughter, and Nakia, of the River Tribe, he remembers how she cradled him and cleaned the wound, promising to protect him.  
She also remember how she failed to keep that promise when T’Chaka…  
No. Not now. She can not pause there now, and she won’t.  
She also remembers when he fell for Nakia, when she broke up with him. How badly it hurt. That was only a small taste of what he’d go through years later with you, when he had to prove to you that you were bent but not destroyed, that you two could work things out.  
Then there was Nisa.  
Nisa, who he swore that he’d marry one day.  
Nisa, who he invited to the palace and to special events, who held onto his arm the way he hoped to hold onto her heart. Who craved his attention the way that he needed affection, who made him lose his faith in love.  
For reasons Ramonda can’t know, that would probably leave her flabbergasted if she dead, he fell back in with Nisa when things with you fell apart. And she doesn’t believe that he meant to. T’Challa is humana nd he often takes better care of others than he does himself, but he’s not reckless.  
Except for, maybe, when it comes to Nakia, Nisa and you.  
So when Nisa showed up at the palace searching for him claiming to be pregnant with his child just as he was working things out with you, just as he was rebuilding what you two had torn apart…  
She compromised. She protected him from Nisa, from everything that would come with this. Ramonda regretted that he would never know the baby, but she didn’t regret that he wouldn’t get his heart broken yet again by someone who treated his love as if it was inconsequential.  
Which is what she must explain now, to a room full of familiar faces who are all looking at her like she is a stranger amongst them,  
It hurts and it feels like she is peeling a layer of lies with each confession, similar to the way one would wipe dirt and grime off of a table, but here she goes.  
She told Nisa that she’d financially support him if they left.  
She did for two years.  
Nisa contacted her months ago, saying how it was not fair on Nyala. That she wanted T’Challa to know his daughter, for her daughter to know T’Challa. That she had siblings. That this was all for her daughter.  
Ramonda was able to twist her words, to treat them as if they were as malleable as metal,bending them and crafting them at her will to create a distorted version of the truth.  
It’s all out now, the truth hangs in the air like a bad aroma. It stinks, it’s pungent. It burns eyes…  
And it’s forced T’Challa into silence.

 

Nisa  
She is seen as the bad person hear- the person who came in to break a happy home. ANd, okay, maybe she did get a bit of satisfaction of getting under T’Challa’s girl’s skin. Maybe she liked the way he’d linger when she walked past, a mix of longing that he’d never indulge and irritation in his looks. He’d never go after her again, nto when he has you. His affection for her is tied up in memories and of her being who she was in his eyes- but there is a stark difference between who he wanted her to be and who she actually was.  
In her eyes, T’Challa saw a future. He could see someone who wanted to be in Wakanda, who wanted the rights and roles, the privileges and prerogatives of being Queen of Wakanda. Nisa was young then, and she did not want to be tied down. T’Challa believed there was more to that feeling. She swears she wishes there was. But there wasn’t, and she broke his heart in her need to break free. In a way, though, she’s kind of glad she did,  
That way, she wouldn’t have to continue to be someone she’s not for someone who could so easily confuse attention with affection.  
He is a good man, though. That’s why, years later, she fell into that casual relationship with him. They were just meeting to discuss her new business, she swears.  
Somehow she ended up between his sheets again, whispers and groans floating up to the ceiling before T’Challa was ushering her out in the quiet hours of the morning, careful not to wake any of the children or alert a member of the Dora Milaje.  
It was supposed to be one time.  
But one time turned into two.  
Then three.  
Then a couple of more after that.   
Finally, he ended, claiming his feelings for his ex-wife as the reason. That he was determined to work it out, that he couldn’t get her off his mind.  
And it was only a while before she was rubbing her pregnant stomach, looking out of the window in her apartment outside of Wakanda and thinking of her decision to take Ramonda up on her offer.  
She could see pictures of T’Challa and her, his ex-wife, splashed everywhere. She felt confused because she didn’t want to be with him, but she also felt something that she didn’t know what it was.  
Perhaps fondness.  
Fondness because he always treated her well, always treated her with respect, it he just was not what she wanted.  
Fondness because had she ran unto T’Challa and not Ramonda that day, things would have turned out differently.  
Nyala is her world. She loves that little girl more than words can describe. From her kinky, coily hair to her button nose, to the eyes that are so clearly T’Challa’s to the smile that is so clearly Nisa’s. She loves that little girl and would do anything for her.  
That is the only reason that she returned to Wakanda, two-year-old in tow and a half-cooked plan that she left her apartment with before she could lose her never.  
Nisa wants what is best for Nyala. That’s why she kept Ramona's conversation a secret for so long- who would believe her? Why place more unwanted and unneeded stress on her baby?  
Now, though the secrets have been spilled. Everyone knows what happened and T’Challa is processing it. But she can not tell what he is thinking.  
She looks to you, meets your eyes, and can tell that not even you know.  
T’Challa is processing this. He is processing that his mother lied to him, that she is the reason that he has a child he didn’t know about for quite some time. That that little girl is somewhere in the palace now, plating   
So now, she waits. 

 

T’Challa is a man of few words i he can help it. That is because, when he does speak, he gets his point across. His words are powerful and dynamic, and they make themselves known.  
He is intelligent, he is intuitive.  
And not even he could tell that his mother was keeping this from him.  
In all honesty, he feels as if the rug has been pulled from under him the day that he learned about N’Jadaka and N’Jobu and his dad and Zuir and why is the room spinning?  
‘’Mother, you kept the truth from me.’’ he states calmly, a but too calmly, ‘’You kept my daughter, my child from me. You claim that you did this to protect me. I ask you, with all due respect, what do you think of the effect of your actions now?’’  
She looks to him then, and you can’t read the look that passses betwen them but the tension.  
‘’You can not protect me forever, mother. I believe that this has been proven time and time again. Nisa. We will work something out, I promise. As for now, please. Give me a moment to collect myself.’’  
T’Challa doesn’t wait for approval, instead turning on is heel and leaving the throne room.  
He needs to think this through. To come up with a solution, a plan, before he tries to talk it through with you.  
That’s why you and Nisa find him hours later in the palace garden, and why the conversation stretches into the late hours.  
‘’So now that we have all agreed to it, i am going to talk to the children. Abioye and Nyala may not be old enough to understand, but Adanya and Ado sure are. We need to stop acting like they aren’t involved. And I believe that we need to all go to counseling,’’ T’Challa takes your hand, ‘’It worked for us.’’  
‘’It did,’’ you agree before looking to Nisa, ‘’These relationships will take some time to build. I think that, if we all agree to give it sometime and some space,we will be able to make this arrangement beneficial for all that are involved.’’  
‘’Space is important,’’ Nisha says, looking to where your hand is intertwined with T’Challa’s, ‘’For all of us.’’  
‘’We have to let the children grow and come to terms with things, bt we need to be there for them. Come what may, something's gonna give and things are gonna change if they are okay with this arrangement.’’  
‘’No more secrets,’’ Nisa tells him.  
‘’No more secrets,’’ T’Challa nods firmly, ‘’Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to talk to my mother. We have some things that we need to discuss.’’  
T’Challa stand then, leaving you alone with the woman who was your enemy just hours ago.  
Now, though, you’ve walked a mile in her shoes. While you are not sure how you feel about the situation, you are sure that you want to keep an open mind.  
And you do.  
‘’T’Challa is so in love with you,’’ Nisa says, a puzzling look on her face, ‘’He loves those children so much. He is a good man. He loves Nyala.’’  
You hear the tone of love in her voice when she speaks of her child. She feels the way about Nyala that you feel about Abioye, Adanya, Ado and the new child.  
That is the start of your bond to her, the one thing you have in common.  
The children are tethering you, her and T’Challa- they are your incentives to work things out.  
So you talk. You talk for hours, loving the good and living the bad and making the best of this situation and the crap show that birthed it.  
‘’He does,’’ you nod, rubbing your pregnant stomach, ‘’He has a good heart.’’  
You remember the words that he’d told you his dad had shared with him- it is hard for a man with a good heart to be king.  
Some days, it’s hard for him to be human without cracking under the pressure to be perfect. He is not perfect.  
It is something that Ramonda realizes later when she is apologizing fiercely, when the walls come down and he is having the first heart-to-heart with her in so long. When he suggests counseling for her, him and Shuri, she agrees/  
Shuri is on board,too. She is tired of things being swept under the rug, tired of never knowing what is going on. So here she is, ready to start anew, to fix the cracks in her armor to protect herself better next time.  
It’s a process, but the children are slowly worked in.  
You tell them the plan, let them think it over, let them voice their opinions, questions, comments, concerns.  
You let the children have a say in what is going on around them…  
And now, you wait. 

DISCLAIMER- ALL MARVEL CHARACTERS AND THEIR FICTIONAL UNIVERSES AND SuCH BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS, I OWN BUT THE PLOT, AND THE CHARACTERS OF : Adanya, Ado, Abioye, Nisa, Nyala and the new baby.,


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING- Mentions of emotions and coping mechanisms, counseling family secrets, betrayal, infidelity and deep insecurities.
> 
> I always worry about the final chapters of stories, but as some of the friends that I have been blessed by God with tell me, you can’t worry too much!

WARNING- Mentions of emotions and coping mechanisms, counseling family secrets, betrayal, infidelity and deep insecurities.

I always worry about the final chapters of stories, but as some of the friends that I have been blessed by God with tell me, you can’t worry too much!

 

At the beginning of this chapter of your story, the lives of nine people were changed forever,  
Six hours of counseling a week  
Five years.  
Four children of your own and one that you’ve come to accept as your own.  
Two people so in love, despite how crazy and reckless it may seem to love with all of the mess surrounding their lives.   
One giant, leap of faith.

It’s been five years since your family sought counseling, trying to rebuild a strong and beautiful unit from a fragmented mess of lies, deceit, bitterness and hatred.  
To say that it took work would be an understatement.   
First, you started by addressing Adanya and her fear that she’d be forgotten by T’Challa, that he’d love Nyala more. With time, she accepts Nyala. You find her sharing her old dolls with her baby sister one day,and your heart warms with pride as the future Queen of Wakanda learns how to be more giving of herself.She is very much like her dad. She is strong willed and stubborn, but she has a kind heart. She closes off when she thinks that she will be hurt.   
You look at her now, sitting across the dinner table from you. Adanya is watching her siblings with a small and amused smile on her face, hair in a box braid bun, She looks so much like a perfect combination of you and T'Challa each and every day that it is often to forget she is her own person, but she is. And what a kind, brilliant, and stunning person she is.  
Then, you moved to Ado and his need to be reassured, his never-ending quest to understand all of the changes that had begun to rock his world. It took a minute for him to warm up to Nisa and Nyala. He, like you, prepared and coped by choosing to observe from the sidelines before getting into it. When Ado loves, though, he loves completely. He dotes on all of his younger siblings, protects them and guards them, He has grown into a younger version of T’Challa on the outside, but he is every bit of you on the inside. He’s laughing behind his hand now, watching his siblings along with Adanya.   
Nyala, Abioye, and Abimbola just know that they are brothers and sister. You do your best not to have any division where it is not needed. They know that Nyala has a different mother, but they do not need to know the reasons. Currently, Nyala and Abimbola are showing them some new dance that hey learned at school, and Abioye is hyping them up, providing the beatbox and commentary.  
Next, you worked on Nisa, Nyala and their relationship to the Udaku family. T’Challa arranged for her to live in a house not too far from the palace, and they shared custody of Nyala. Nyala spends the days at the palace when she gets out of school, often having dinner with you. She is with her mother every other weekend, with T’Challa on the weekends that are assigned to him.  
In a way of extending a long overdue olive branch, you invited Nisa to dinner this evening. She is currently watching the children t0o, tiredness and humor etched into her sharp features as she looks on at the bond between the five siblings.  
You address Ramonda’s need to protect T’Challa, the extreme and often toxic methods that she took in order to do so, and T’Challa and Shuri’s lack of trust in their mother. They build it up, learn from their mistakes, promise to do better, then try to do just that.  
Nisa, you, and T’Challa end up in therapy together. You still do not like her, but you respect her as the mother of one of T’Challa’s children. She respects you in that same way, though you know that she dislikes you as well. You both love your children, though. She has surprisingly grown just as fond of Adanya, Ado, Abioye and your youngest son, Abimbola. You get along well in front of the children, and you do with seemingly effortless strength.  
T’Challa was there because it was, and still is necessary for the three of you to mature and to be the adults that you are in this situation. Petty differences and past flings and mistakes aside.   
Nisa needed to let go of the past, to get the hurt, the anger, the bitterness that raged inside of her, and slowly fan out the flames until all that was left was a blackened, used wick.  
This, for sure, was an uphill battle. There were days where she couldn’t even talk to Ramonda, where you’d catch her staring at you and T’Challa with a look of amusement and melancholy.   
She views T’Challa as a good man, as the dad of her child, and in some days, hidden in the darkest and most intimate corners of her mind, she sees him as the one that got away. She doesn't regret her choices, but she does see now what she could have had. She’s learning to let that go, too. She’s dating a kind man, he loves her and Nyala. She learns to let go of any past mistakes and regrets, learning from them and not holding on to guilt. To release it to the wind and let it blow where it may, like a seed of thought never to return, lest it grow into something more unruly than the last five years.   
That means that there were nights when you have to mentally cleanse, had to ignore the thought of her lips on his, of her sharing the same bed with your now, again, husband, had to ignore that there may still be feelings there.  
T’Challa had to own up to his mistakes. He had to admit that he is human and that he does, indeed, make mistakes. T’Challa messed up, made choices faster than he could think the consequences through. Most importantly, he had to learn how to forgive himself. To forgive himself for not seeing people’s true colors, for not knowing he was being betrayed, for making rash decisions, for not allowing himself to be human.  
That takes a long time. T’Challa is so used to feeling like he must be perfect in all areas. He thinks he must be the perfect dad, the perfect king, the perfect friend, the perfect brother, the perfect husband, the perfect warrior- that he rarely gives thought to those pieces of his personality, of this experience he calls life, that make him human.  
Ramonda learns that her need to protect T’Challa stems from her fear of losing him. When she lost T’Chaka, her world changed. Her husband, the dad to her two, wonderful and intelligent children, the love her like,the most fierce warrior of Wakanda, was gone. When she looks at T’Challa, she sees all of the good parts of herself, of T’Chaka,of his own attributes tied together into a wonderful man, a true gift to everyone around hi,  
Is it any wonder that she wanted to protect him?  
She learns, though, that she cannot always do that. She had to let T’Challa make mistakes, let him live his life and learn from the mistakes. Live and learn-something that the whole family is trying to take in and put out into their lives every day.  
. It is a process, but she gets there. She apologizes to Nisa. She works on making up for her past mistakes. Nisa, slowly, forgives her, slowly allows Nyala to be around her grandmother more.  
Ramonda welcomes Nyala into the family, spoils and dotes on her the way that she does all of her children. Adanya, Ado, Abioye, Abimbola, and now Nyala meant the world to her. She loves them, she support the, she hopes to see them grow and not to make the same mistakes with the that she did with their dad. He can not protect them from all things, but she can love them, For now, yeah, maybe that’s good enough.   
Shuri moves to California about two years after the Udaku family decides to start a new, to have a new beginning. She spearheads changes and expansions in the outreach program. She works more in the inner cities, providing STEP programs and classes at schools that just do not have the budget for it. She loves it. Shuri has always had a hidden case of wanderlust, and not-so-hidden need to help others, a need to make a difference in anyway that is possible.   
Shuri visits as often as she can, she calls when she can not. Of course she finds ways to tease T’Challa even from America, to spoil all five of her nieces and nephews as she lives an ocean apart. Shuri Udaku is living, breathing, perfect proof that even when a member of the Udaku family, a strong branch off of its tree, has been separated, that tree can still thrive.  
And, when planted and given the right amounts of love, support and help. That seed can thrive and flourish and give birth to something completely new, something just as beautiful as what it left behind.  
Then there's you and T’Challa. The dynamic duo that found out that things can be fixed with a little time, a lot of dedication, and a love that fills the room. The two of you re-married a year after Abimbola was born, and it’s been a non-stop ride ever since. Some days are as beautiful and as peaceful as the Wakandan sunset- an outsider could never truly know the true brightness and warmth of it until they experienced it for themselves.   
No one outside of your relationship with T’Challa understands how you made it work. Truth be told, you wonder sometimes, too. All of the odds were stacked against you, yet the two of you pushed back. You fought back. You strived to build something from the ashes that laid crumbled at your feet, the broken bricks and forgotten rubble of another failed relationship.  
You communicate.  
You fight.  
You makeup.  
You live.   
You learn.  
You seek counseling.  
You take your duties as queen, as wife, as mother and as friends and you handle them with all of the grace, poise and dignity of a dancer.On the days where the dance floor falls out from beneath your feet, T’Challa is there to catch you. After all, he is your dance partner.   
Sometimes he forgets the steps too. Some days the curtains open and he’s not sure what to do, where to turn, who to trust. But there you are, his co-star, his best friend, his leading lady. There you are stepping forward and claiming the stage as your own, taking the world and the critics and the fans and the naysayers and the gossip and the support in stride, and by storm.   
So it is on the eve of your oldest child's birthday that T’Challa is standing with you on the balcony attached to your room, the Wakandan breeze drifting by. It goes through the soft fabric your nightgown, making you sigh in relief as the cool air relieves the heat a bit.  
‘’I can't believe that our oldest child is going to be sixteen years old tomorrow. Can you believe that she is already sixteen? It seems like yesterday we were bringing her out to the palace garden and teaching her to ride a bike.’’  
‘’It does,’’ you lean back against him, noting the beginnings of gray hair near his temple, that match your own, ‘’I found another gray hair.’’  
‘’I am alright with that, entle. That simply means that you can not keep your eyes off of me, eh?’’  
‘’Such a charmer,’’ you giggle as he presses kisses to your cheek, somehow managing to return you to your school girl days of giggling when the cute boy would look your way, ‘’ She is such a smart girl. She will make an excellent queen soon.’’  
‘’Yes. I sparred with her the other day. She is incredible. She could give Okoye a good fight,’’ T’Challa reveals, pride coloring his words the way that the red and orange and purple color the sky.  
A yawn catches in your throat when you try to suppress it, and your husband chuckles good-naturedly.  
‘’My love, it is time for us to go to sleep. We have a full day ahead of us tomorrow. Meetings and banquets and such. The job of the king and queen are never done, it seems.’’  
You turn to look at him then, a glint to his eyes telling you that he wants you to go to bed for a very, very different reason.  
‘’Eh, no! Five children is my limit, T’Challa. Thank you very much.’’  
He beams then, kissing your forehead with thankfulness at the fact that you now include Nyala as your child. You make sure to keep up with her in public when you grab the hands of your youngest three. He can still recall when you’d taken her shopping to pick out fabric and paparazzi had messed with you before the Dora Milaje led them away from you.  
You took Nyala into your arms and comforted her, soothing her and wiping away the tears that stained her little cheeks with your sleeve. He remembers those countless days where you showed kindness and love to a young girl who you strived not to make feel like a stranger in the home that you’d learned to share and letting her know that it would all be quite alright.   
‘’Not even one more?’’  
‘’Maybe,’’ you play with the buttons to his pajama shirt, ‘’I mean, you are relentless.’’  
‘’Bast, look who’s talking! You had a completely different tone the other night, entle.’’  
‘’That was then, T’Challa. This is now.’’  
He lets out a loud, booming chortle then, the kind that is full of joy and demands for it to be known.  
He is truly and authentically happy.  
In many ways, you’re grateful for the things that life threw against you. It was as if you were on a stage in a big production and life kept changing the music and the choreography as the audience watched on in shock, amusement, and hopefulness. Your children were dragged into the performance, and you gave them the tools that they needed to rise above…  
But you know that you couldn't have made it through the scene changes and different dances without your dance partner. T’Challa may have had some growing up to do, but you did, too. Now, you’re the stars of your own show.  
Currently, your leading man is pressing you into the sheets, breaking you from your thoughts as he pulls the cover over you.  
However, he doesn't have ulterior motives in mind as you’d suspected. He turns off the light. Lays his head on your chest. Falls asleep.His chest rises and falls, his heartbeat against your body, in the place where it’s meant to be.  
Many years ago, the moonlight would have been your companion, taking up the spot that is currently being taken up by your loving husband.  
Things are not perfect, because people are not perfect. You’re still trying to make it day to day, discovering new things, learning how to be human and how being human can be difficult for everyone at some point.  
You’re content, though. The scene may change, the audience may jest and laugh, the music may abruptly turn into something that you’re not used to.  
One thing is for sure: you have an amazing cast co-stars in your family and friends, and an extremely wonderful partner through this dance we call life in T’Challa Udaku. T’Challa Udaku, the man who worked with you to remove the spaces in between you, to remove the secrets, who shares the spotlight with you.  
And you know that he is by your side until the last scene, when the curtain closes.

 

NOTE  
So I'm super petty with myself lol. The other night, I thought ''What if Shuri's paternity test could only recognize whether or not the child was from the Udaku bloodline but not the dad specifically?'' Everyone would assume that it was T'Challa. What if it turns out Killmonger is still alive, and this was his and Nisa's elaborate plot to get him back to the throne? Now I am so mad that I did not think of it before and I want to write it but it'd be too much!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER- I only own the characters of Nisa, Adanya , Ado, Abioye, Nyala and Abimbola. All Marvel characters, their fictional worlds and materials, and anything that is not my own original work- such as this plot- are properties of their rightful owners


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